Carbon neutral drive boosted by new Greater Manchester and Octopus Energy partnership

An Octopus Energy turbine

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has struck a new partnership with Octopus Energy Group in its bid to become carbon neutral by 2038, 12 years ahead of the UK target date.

The agreement, announced on the same day as the COP26 conference in Glasgow focused attention on the twin themes of Science and Innovation, will see Octopus Energy trial the uptake of new green energy tariffs for customers in Greater Manchester.

Through the partnership, Octopus Energy will also create 300 high-skilled jobs, ranging from data scientists and heat pump engineers to frontline customer support.

Rochdale council leader, Councillor Neil Emmott, Greater Manchester Lead for the Green City-Region, said: “This new agreement with Octopus Energy is a big boost to our plan for a carbon-neutral Greater Manchester by 2038. It’s also a major vote of confidence in our city-region to lead the transition to a more sustainable future, supporting low-carbon infrastructure and new jobs in green industries.

“Crucially, this partnership will lay the foundations for our Local Energy Market – the biggest project of its kind to revolutionise the way we produce, consume, and distribute energy in Greater Manchester.”

Overall, the ambition is for Greater Manchester to become the UK’s leading Green city-region, taking a leading role at the forefront of the UK’s technological evolution by trialling and facilitating the smart and innovative new technologies that will support the country’s net zero ambitions.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “We are really pleased that Octopus Energy have committed to expand their operation and are opening their first hub in the North of England here in Greater Manchester. The partnership will see the creation of 300 jobs and the trials for the uptake of new green energy tariffs and technologies will help Greater Manchester residents to go green at the same time as saving money.

“This has always been a place of innovation, and every day we’re making new strides towards a low-carbon economy, finding new ways to power our businesses and our communities. We’re showing that the transition to net zero is one with massive potential to make things better for our residents, and it’s great to have Octopus on board.”

Octopus Energy will look to increase the flexibility of Greater Manchester’s energy supply through its flexibility arm KrakenFlex – a cloud-based technology platform managing the real-time energy supply and demand of clean energy technologies such as electric vehicles and heat pumps.

Devrim Celal, CEO of KrakenFlex, the arm of Octopus Energy that will manage the partnership with the GMCA, said he was “delighted” to partner with the GMCA, adding: “We are at the cusp of a green energy revolution and partnerships like the one with the GMCA will help accelerate this transformation, making energy greener and cheaper for consumers whilst fighting climate change.”